Phuket News
Discover the latest news and updates from Thailand’s most famous and beautiful island, The Thaiger’s hometown, having previously operated as the Phuket Gazette.
Our team brings you breaking news, in-depth analysis, and exclusive stories from Phuket, covering everything from local politics and business to lifestyle and tourism. Learn about the island’s stunning beaches, vibrant nightlife, and thriving expat community, as well as keeping updated on events, and attractions.
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Another two days of rain, says weatherman
PHUKET: The current bad weather in Phuket is likely to continue for another two days, Amorn Chantanavivate, director of the Southwestern Regional Meteorological Center, said today. Widespread thundershowers are affecting about 80% of southwestern Thailand, bringing isolated heavy showers. The rains and winds of around 35 kmh are being caused by a strong southwesterly monsoon over the Andaman Sea and…
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Phuket sees boom in new businesses
PHUKET TOWN: Phuket is still the Number One place in southern Thailand in which to open a business, according to Veerachai Tantiwathanavallop, Director of the Phuket Commercial Registration Office. A total of 392 business were registered between January 1 and May 31, an average of 78 new businesses a month. “That is about 10% to 15% higher than last year,”…
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More entertainment zones mapped out
PHUKET: Muang and Thalang Districts have mapped out the areas in which they propose to have entertainment zones. These areas must be specified in order to meet the requirements of proposed new legislation governing the entertainment industry. In a paper released yesterday, Vice-Governor Amnuay Sanguannam explained that the Muang District plan includes 13 separate entertainment zones – one in Tambon…
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Owners urged to give land for expo center
PHUKET TOWN: The Governor of Phuket has asked local landowners to donate 100 rai of land for the construction of an international convention and exhibition center (CEC). The call by Governor Pongpayome Vasaputi came at a meeting held this afternoon in the Phuket Provincial Administration Organization chamber. Also present at the meeting were representatives of the Tourism Authority of Thailand…
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Bangkok considering yacht owners’ problems
PHUKET: The Thai government is considering cutting the taxes on imported yachts and doubling the time that foreign yachts may stay in Thai waters before owners have to pay such taxes. Manit Wittayatin, Director-General of the Thai Customs Department told a meeting of provincial officials in Phuket today, “The regulations for yachts entering Thai waters create difficulties for many foreigners.…
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Officials sink Thaksin’s duty-free dream
PHUKET: Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra has accepted that his recently-stated plan to turn Phuket into a duty-free island is an impossible dream, Manit Wittayatin, Director-General of the country’s Customs Department, told a meeting of high-ranking provincial officials today. K. Manit explained that at the most recent meeting held in Bangkok to discuss this matter, the Prime Minister initially stressed that…
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Beach lifeguard coverage boosted
PHUKET: Lifeguard coverage of Phuket’s beaches during the low season – when the island’s west coast becomes dangerous for swimming – will be more comprehensive this year. The Phuket Provincial Administration Organization (OrBorJor) announced yesterday that the watch on the beaches will begin on Friday, two weeks earlier than last year, and that there will be three extra lookout stations,…
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Tourist Police get mountain bikes
PHUKET: The island’s Tourist Police are now equipped with four mountain bikes, which they will use to patrol Patong beach. The bikes were donated to the Tourist Police last night by the Rotary Club of Patong, at the club’s regular weekly meeting. “As we enter the low season, many people are without jobs, so we have to step up our…
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Bomb explodes at Karon hotel
KARON: A small bomb smashed windows and cracked a wall of the Baan Karon Hotel on Patak Rd in the early hours of yesterday (Sunday) morning. No one was injured. Pol Capt Chockchai Sutthimeke of Chalong Police Station told the Gazette that the bomb had been planted against an outside wall of the hotel, next to the office of the…
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Tourist stabbed with broken bottle
KARON: A 24-year-old tourist from Denmark, Michael Jacob, was stabbed with a broken bottle at the Southland Inn on Patak Rd around 3 am yesterday (Sunday). Pol Capt Chana Suttimart of Chalong Police Station told the Gazette, “Mr Jacob was negotiating with two women. They had an argument, which developed into a fight. One of the women stabbed Mr Jacob…
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Three drown off Karon Beach
KARON: Three construction workers from Isarn drowned in front of the Nong Harn inlet yesterday afternoon. Pol Capt Teerawat Liamsuwan, of Chalong Police Station, told the Gazette, “Two 21-year-old men, Teung Suthamma and Duangden Sawangwong, and a 17-year-old girl, Jaruwan Pakya, were swimming with three friends when a large wave crashed down on them, pushing them underwater.” Of the three…
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Power grid ‘will improve radically’
PHUKET: By December next year, Phuket will have a much more sophisticated and reliable electricity supply, according to experts from the Provincial Electricity Authority (PEA) and the European Union (EU), which is providing some of the funds for upgrading the system. The upgrade includes the construction of two new substations in addition to the existing two and the laying of…
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Local phone numbers to get longer
BANGKOK: The Telephone Organization of Thailand (TOT) has announced that the telephone numbering system for the entire country will be changed. With the new system, which comes into effect on July 5, people making local calls will have to include the province’s area code in the telephone number. A person calling within Bangkok to, say 575 7310, will need to…
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Alleged Muslim rebels behead kidnap victims
BANGKOK (AFP): Thai police said this afternoon that they had found the severed heads of two Thais kidnapped by alleged Muslim separatists near the Malaysian border. Deputy police chief Sant Sarutanond said members of the Muslim separatist New PULO were responsible for the beheadings in the southern province of Yala, near the border. “They did this for money,” Sant said.…
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THAI emergency landing under investigation
HANOI (AFP): Thai Airways is investigating a fuel leak on a Boeing 777 which forced it to make an emergency landing in central Vietnam, airline officials said today. The aircraft landed in Vietnam’s third city of Danang early yesterday after the pilot reported plummeting fuel levels on a flight from Taipei to Bangkok, the officials said. Aviation fuel leaked all…
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Gambling continues to top arrest stats
PHUKET: Yet again, gambling topped the arrest statistics in May, with 258 people held for gambling offenses between May 1 and 25. The Provincial Police statistics showed arrests of illegal immigrants coming in second place, with 95 people arrested, followed by narcotics offenses, with 43 people arrested for offenses related to “ya bah” (methamphetamine). A total of 1,528 ya bah…
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Gazette goes on sale today in Bangkok
BANGKOK: As part of a recently concluded cooperation agreement between The Nation Multimedia Group and The Phuket Gazette Company, the Phuket Gazette is now on sale at ten major outlets of Asia Books in Bangkok. The agreement with The Nation complements the Gazette’s long-standing distribution arrangements with Flower King at Bangkok’s domestic and international air terminals. “We are very happy…
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Nepal’s crown prince kills parents, relatives
KATHMANDU (AFP): Nepal’s crown prince shot dead his parents – the king and queen – and several other relatives during a family dinner at the royal palace here before turning the gun on himself, officials said this afternoon. King Birendra, Queen Aishwarya and nine other people were killed when Crown Prince Dipendra opened fire with a semi-automatic weapon during the…
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Unidentified body washes ashore
THALANG: Local villagers discovered the body of an unidentified man washed ashore on the beach at Sirinath National Park around 11 am yesterday. Pol Capt Sappawat Suksiri, of Tah Chat Chai Police Station, told the Gazette that the man, who is believed to have been between 30 and 40 years old, was clad in a white and blue T-shirt, but…
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Embassy clarifies visa rules – sort of
KUALA LUMPUR: The Royal Thai Embassy in Kuala Lumpur has clarified the reasons for its recent imposition of harsh “old” requirements for a Non-Immigrant B visa, in particular as they apply to any foreigner wanting to go to Thailand on a business trip. As reported by the Gazette Online yesterday the consulate in KL has, since May 21, been handing…
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KL consulate tightens up B visa rules
KUALA LUMPUR: The Royal Thai Consulate in Kuala Lumpur has joined its counterpart in Penang in making it a great deal more difficult for foreigners working in Thailand to obtain a Non-Immigrant ‘B’ visa. A memorandum, dated May 21 and handed out to applicants on their arrival at the consulate, lists 10 documents – including confidential company papers – that…
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‘Virus warning’ email hoax hits Phuket
PHUKET: An email circulating round the island, warning computer users of a new virus that is scheduled to activate itself tomorrow (June 1), is a hoax, say experts. The message begins, “Urgent. A virus could be in your computer files now, dormant but [set to] become active on June 1. Follow [the] directions below to check if you have it…
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Teenagers break out of detention center
PHUKET: Three teenagers escaped from the Phuket Observation and Protection Center (OPC) late on Monday night. To escape, the boys used an iron bar from a bed frame to force open a window, then scaled the center’s perimeter wall. An officer at the OPC, who asked not to be named, said that the teenagers may have been frightened by a…
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Thaksin fires central bank governor
BANGKOK (AFP): The government of Thaksin Shinawatra today sacked Bank of Thailand governor Chatumongkol Sonakul following a week-long wrangle over interest rate policy, a senior official said. “This change is to enhance the efficiency of the government’s work,” government spokesman Yongyuth Tiyapairat told reporters after a cabinet meeting in which the decision was made to get rid of Chatumongkol. Public…
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Seatran wins port tender with 90m baht bid
PHUKET TOWN: Seatran Travel Co Ltd has won the tender to run the Rassada Port with a bid worth more than 90 million baht over the 30 years of the lease. The port is owned by the Phuket Provincial Administration Organization (OrBorJor). The decision was announced on Friday by the OrBorJor’s Deputy President, Wisut Santikun, who headed the committee examining…
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Phuket shut out of medals in Rugby 10s
SAPHAN HIN: So far but no further was the catchphrase for Phuket this afternoon, as the Phuket Barbarians crashed out of the Cup semi-finals in the Phuket Island Lager International Rugby Tens, going down 0-27 to the eventual winners, Hong Kong FC Vandals. The Phuket Vagabonds, meanwhile, slaughtered the Hong Kong Bulls 40-0 in the Bowl semi-finals, only to be…
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Clean sweep for Phuket Barbarians
SAPHAN HIN: The Phuket Barbarians made a clean sweep of their matches to win Group A of the Phuket Island Lager International Rugby Tens today. The Phuket Vagabonds, in Group D, won one game and lost two to come equal second. Favorites and last year’s winners of the tournament, British Club of Bangkok, crashed to the bottom of Group A,…
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Gov to lobby against flight change
PHUKET: Phuket Governor Pongpayome Vasaputi is to request the government to reconsider the switching of a Thai Airways International (THAI) service from Phuket to Bangkok. THAI has announced that its twice-weekly service between Perth, Australia, and Phuket will be canceled. Starting from October 1, the flights will land in Bangkok instead. Governor Pongpayome said yesterday, “I don’t agree with this…
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Thai tourist feared drowned off Patong
PATONG: Prawit Butdon, a 19-year-old tourist from Haad Yai, is feared to have drowned while swimming with friends off Patong Beach yesterday. Pol Capt Chawarit Patseepear of Kathu District Police Station said he received a call at about 6 pm, notifying him that Prawit had disappeared. Officers from Kathu and from the Marine Police rushed to the scene, along with…
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One dead, 20 hurt in bus crash
PRACHUAP KHIRI KHAN: One passenger from Hong Kong died instantly and 20 Thais were injured when a tour bus carrying passengers from Phuket to Bangkok overturned on the highway early yesterday morning. One of the injured is Pol Lt Col Wuttichai Kumphut, formerly deputy superintendent of Chalong Police Station. He and other passengers were taken to Prachuap Khiri Khan Hospital…
Phuket is a province in the south of Thailand. Phuket's beaches face the Andaman Sea allowing the west coast beaches fantastic sunsets right throughout the year. If you're looking for news in Phuket, go to thethaiger.com/phuket Or follow our instant news in our Facebook pages.
The good news is that Phuket is famous for its foodie scene with an enormously diverse range of local and international foods - Phuket and southern favorites, street food along with international choices catering for the 12 million visitors to the island each year. Thaiger follows Phuket news and information 24 hours a day with regular updates.
Phuket is only 'just' an island with a 300 metre bridge linking it to Thailand's mainland. We're always reporting in the news that the channel beneath is frequently dredged to maintain Phuket's status as an island. On the other side of Sarasin Bridge is the Province of Phang Nga.
Getting to Phuket is easy as the island has land, air and sea connections. Phuket is also used as a take-off point for local island trips as Thailand's largest island is surrounded by over 30 pristine islands. Koh Phi Phi and the famous Maya Bay are always in the news and would be the best known of the island's just off Phuket's shores.
Phuket is an island and a province. It's the largest island in Thailand – 48 km north to south, 21 km east to west.
It's about 20% smaller, in area, than Singapore but much less densely populated. Whilst the island nation of Singapore boasts a population of nearly 6 million, Phuket has a permanent population of around 400-450,000 (but varies a lot with the influx of tourists and a workforce that is always changing). Most of Phuket remains jungle and tropical rainforest despite an acceleration of development over the past 20 years.
Unlike some of Thailand's other popular islands (that are in the Gulf of Thailand), the news is that Phuket is located in the Andaman Sea.
Phuket is 878 km north of the equator.
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